User mini profile

Brown was the first to launch a glider off the cliffs at La Jolla and in 1939 set a new world record for altitude, distance, and time aloft by flying his glider, Thunderbird, 263 miles from Texas to Kansas. He received a telegram of congratulations from President Herbert Hoover.

"They all laughed at me at the airport," Woody said. "Yeah, when they asked, 'Well, where ya going? Where's your destination?' I said, 'Oh, Wichita, Kansas.' Three states away! You see, nobody had even gone across one state. All the airplane guys laughed. 'Ho, ho, ho! It takes us all day to go over there. You're going in that?!' But, boy, when I came back, there wasn't a sound. Nobody said anything."

User mini profile

Woody was the man! Lots of great stories from his early flying days.
I don't know who you are Magentabluesky, but thanks. By complete coincidence, I just lamely posed for this photo last weekend in my recently acquired "big project"!
The "thunder Bird" that Woody is sitting in was made by him in 1939 and designed by Hawley Bowlus. Bowlus is another name to google if you don't know about him already. Don Mitchell, of Mitchell Wing fame, worked for him for years. What's left of Woody's glider is now owned by a family of soaring and hang gliding pilots. My Baby Albatross was made in 1941. Not a hang glider, but there are ties between hang gliders and Bowlus including his first design which was a hang glider built around a rocking chair in 1910 and looked more like a bird.